Awaken O Sword
by JustAPersonWithTime
Summary: Awaken O Sword, Protect what Remains, The Remnants of Earth. Darkness has returned, and the shield of humanity is failing. Time is of the essence Blade of humanity, you must awaken! Your fated enemy has reappeared, O Sword shall the world suffer the same fate? (Cover Image TBD)
1. Chapter 1

**So after like 2 months of inactivity, I reread all the chapters i posted. I really didn't like them :/. So I've decided to start anew. I have changed a few things to please read and enjoy. I'm sorry for the inactivity, but I'm getting absolutely shafted in college lmao. Plz send me help. : (**

**Beta : SilverZekrom**

_He was falling . . ._

_Deeper and deeper into a void of emptiness_

_Colors were slowly fading around him_

_Memories of the times he spent saving the people were the first to crumble_

_Times of joy and happiness were dissolving_

_Everything was fading_

_All that was left was a simple flame_

_One that represented what a person was_

_In it, therein laid a single wish_

_And that was . . ._

_to save others._

_Yet_

_Even that would eventually fall to the numbing pain of failure_

_You ..._

_You are flawed, no better than those who would kill for their own gain._

_But where there is hope, there is a way._

_How can you save others when you couldn't even save those you care about?_

_How can you bear to call yourself a hero?_

_Heh…_

_So raise your hand you fool._

_Maybe just once…_

_Even if fate itself would deny it,_

_I'll accept you._

_So go._

_Carry on his legacy, his final will._

_Maybe, just maybe_

_the true sword shall awaken._

_Humanity will need you soon_

_Emiya Shirou_

_You better not let me down._

_So . . ._

**Awaken **

And with that, two silver eyes closed.

**Line break**

It was calm. The serene night called to him, lulling him into a sense of serendipity. So there he lay, in the middle of an open clearing. A young man, no older than 16 was faced towards the night sky.

The young man wouldn't have looked out of place to any bystanders, except for one thing. There laying around him were countless swords. Each and everyone of them were notable, the way it glowed and the way it looked. Each and everyone were that of almost peerless quality. Yet why where they so sad? But that was all there was to it. Each blade then slowly started to fade. The ones furthest from him were the ones to go first.

Each piece began to crumble into motes of blue, all fading into nothingness. Sword after sword began to crumble until there were three left. A black falchion with a white counterpart, were among the last three to go. They were swords of unmatched quality, ones that would draw the attention of even the best blacksmiths among the world. Their disappearance was almost disturbingly slow, as if it didn't want to leave the hands of its wielder. But even they disappeared into the night sky.

The last blade was impaled above his head. It's golden hue drawing in the moonlight, as well as the surrounding fauna. Animals of all kinds gathered before it, as if they were giving it praise. The blade was almost indescribable. If the two previous swords were considered the best of a race, then the this blade was it's god. Motes of yellow light flowed around the clearing, as the night settled in. Eventually even time would fade away. The blade would begin to dissipate, but not before something began to form from the light generated. Two gauntlets appeared to cup the head of the sleeping young man. It began to brush his head, as if to comfort him.

"* **** ***"

With that, the golden apparition scattered back into the clearing. The fauna around the young man scattered almost immediately, as the thing that caught their attention was no more. If one paid attention to the young man instead, one would have noticed a single tear slowly sliding down his cheek. The moment it reached the ground, two golden-brown eyes reopened.

Gazing up, he looked towards the sky. The endless stars filled his vision as he began to count them. Each and everyone of them was like that of a human's life. They were beautiful, and that was why he wanted to save them. To him, each and everyone of them were precious. Each and every -

His train of thought paused immediately. The moon. . . it was impossible. The moon had been shattered. The once whole moon was torn apart. The entirety of the right side was fractured, just like the continents of earth. Just like that, his memories sparked.

He was immediately taken back to that moment with his father. They had been sitting under the moon that night, talking about, about … he couldn't remember. All he knew was that he had to save people. But why? Why did he have to? He, he had made something that night. A promise? A Wish? It had been under a full moon, he was sure of it. Not whatever this was.

He decided to ponder about what this could have meant. Laying in the grass, Emiya Shirou wondered about how his entire life and each and every event that lead up to this moment. Who was he? What did he do? And, why did his heart hurt so much?

He then stopped. He realised something. He realised that he didn't want to know. That his mind was purposefully doing it's best to not remember it. He sighed. Looking back up to the moon, he decided to hold his hand up. Like a child he imagined that the moon was just a puzzle. Slowly he began to piece it back together, and eventually, he remembered what was lost.

Tears began to roll from his face, as memories from that night so long ago began to resurface.

"Kiritsugu . . ." he whispered. The name was all to familiar. He began to roll the word in his mouth, saying the same thing over and over again before it clicked. The man who had adopted him, the man who gave him a life again, the man he had promised to -

Pain

Pain

Pain

Pain flooded through him. It was as if the sun had decided to scald him with it's rays. Yet in the end, it ended with the sweet feeling of remembrance.

"No matter what anyone says, not even him, your dream was beautiful." Words from that night were almost freshly imprinted in his mind.

His one dream, his one wish, and his one destiny. This was something he could never forget for it was imprinted upon his soul. He was Emiya Shirou, and he was hero of justice.

**Line Break**

Even if he were to be in a different world, there was a high chance things could still be the same. That in mind, Shirou knew that there were people he had to save. He started to lift himself up when he realised something.

He was almost fatally injured. His body was littered with wounds, ones that even most humans wouldn't have survived. It seemed that while he was trying to remember who he was, he didn't realise that it was truly this bad. If his mind couldn't realise it, it probably meant that he was almost too far gone.

Sometimes the mind realises that the body is too far gone, so it tries it's best to distract itself with other things. In this case, Shirou Emiya as doing his best to ignore the fact that he was about to die, even if he knew what was going on. Just like normal. Tapping into his magical reserves, Shirou opened his mouth.

" My body is made of swords." Immediately a layer of blades erupted from within him, covering all major wounds. It was as if a mesh of steel decided to mend itself with his skin. This mesh was the only thing keeping him alive as it prevented even more of his blood loss.

Even if it was temporary, the pain that came with utilizing such an ability shook Shirou's body. Bolts of pain ran through his immobile body. At least it would keep him alive, until he figured out how to get out of this place.

Deep in his thoughts, Shirou didn't realise that there was something waiting in the bush near him. A lone figure was eyeing him. With eyes of pure red, this creature had stumbled upon him. It was preparing itself for the right moment to pounce upon its prey. Slowly, it tensed it's hind legs as it prepared to leap.

That was when a curved bronze blade bisected it. Attached to that blade was a mountain of a man. Standing at a height of seven feet, a tanned man lifted his blade back up. While he was curious why the beast was about to jump, it didn't matter to him. He had a job after all, and that was to protect his team. They hadn't made it in time to save the village, but he still had his duty. If he couldn't protect them, he might as well avenge them.

That was when it hit him. A faint smell of blood. He turned his head back to where the beast had prepared to lunge. While it may have surpurior senses when compared to him, he was still able to make out a figure lying on the ground.

A survivor! He immediately rushed over to the figure prone on the floor. Lifting two fingers, he placed them near the neck of the young man on the floor. There! He barely just made out a pulse. That person was still alive! He needed to inform the others immediately.

He immediately ripped a scroll out of his bag and began to type into it. He needed an immediate evac, along with a medic. Shit. There weren't any near him except for Velvet, but she was too busy with cleaning up the nearby grimm population. Oum be damned.

With that done, he pulled out a roll of bandages and went to work. They might have been too late to save the village, but he would be damned if he let one of it's survivors die before him. Lifting one of the arms up, he began to unravel the role of bandages. Things were looking especially grimm. The young man had multiple cuts, ranging from small lacerations, to almost deep gouging wounds. It seemed that he had an unlucky encounter with bandits after escaping from his village.

Shirou was lucky. Even when he was deep in thought, he had decided to keep his attention to the area around him. Something didn't feel right about the world around. The moment he heard a sword strike in the distance, he had immediately dispelled his body of swords. Even if it was detrimental to his body, he knew that at least there'd be someone to treat him. The moment the tanned giant had appeared over him with a worried face, he knew he'd be in good hands. So he did the best thing he could have done at that moment. He blacked out.

**So how'd you like this new and improved version of the story? I know I'm not much of a writer, so I do hope you understand that i'm garbo. sry.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm a toaster. I have returned from beyond the grave. I feel like shit. Please end me. **

**Beta: SilverZekrom**

_He wielded two swords._

_A pair of falchions. _

_One was as dark as the night while the other was as pure as snow. _

_Yet, the blades seemed off. They seemed different._

_He should have recognized them, yet he couldn't. _

_Why?_

_Why couldn't he call out their names? Why couldn't he understand them?_

_Why?_

_Ah…_

_That was why._

_These weren't his blades. Nor were they the ones __**he**__ used._

_They were completely different. What should have been his experiences had been replaced with someone else's. _

_That someone was…_

_Was…_

_Was his._

_They were his memories. Yet he himself couldn't recognize it. He didn't have a younger sister with black hair. He didn't watch the one other important person in his life die to her brother. Nor did he remember a card that gave him powers. He didn't recognize someone named Julian either._

_These memories weren't his. Yet was he remembering them, though? _

_He couldn't understand it, but he knew that the other person was lonely. He didn't have someone to rely on. There was no red skirted tsundere who could fire spells with gems. There was no white haired fairy, nor was there a tiger-like older sister. In the end, he didn't have her either._

_A young woman with green eyes, and blond hair. Though small, she was able to put in enough food for twenty grown men. Though small, she was able to swing a broadsword with almost complete mastery. Though small, she was there by his side, even to the very end. Though small…_

_She was the one who taught him, who trained him, who… acknowledged him._

_He didn't have her. He may have been the same person, but he didn't have her._

_Rather, the one who he cared about was of the blacked haired girl. The one who he treated as kin. He would choose to sacrifice everything he had left for her. His magecraft , his ideals, and in the end, even his life. With a promise at an altar, and a fight with a counterfeiter he had become someone that was almost unrecognizable. _

_Thus a world of snow and gears was formed. It was wrong to him, but he understood. Like a passenger who looked through the window, he knew of what that version of him had gone through. Even if he couldn't accept what had happened, even if he had given up those ideals, he was still the same person. Even if the world was truly cold and indifferent he would still be the same in the very end._

_He was still a hero of justice. He was -_

**A break in the line**

Yatsuhashi was rushed. With the discovery of a survivor, he knew that time was of the essence. With the bare essentials of first aid, he had done his best to bandage the young man up. It may have been shoddy patchwork, but he would hopefully make it through. Slowly, he slipped his arm under the young man's body, positioning so that he would be able to carry him to safety. With care, Yatsuhashi was able to lift the body up until they were both standing. With his other arm, he lifted the young man's arm over his head to finish up.

That was when he noticed it. He and the young man weren't alone. Multiple red eyes had appeared within the forest boundary, the tension in the air had increased. Yatsuhashi had forgotten one thing while dealing with that particular species. Beowolves never hunted alone.

Growls filled the air, as multiple wolf-like creatures appeared in the surrounding. These pitch black monsters with bone plating seemed to appear almost of thin air, as they melded in with the shadows. Creatures of the night they were, and creatures of the night they shall be. They were what caused the bumps and shrieks of the night. These abominations of pure and utter evil.

They were the enemies of humanity, and as such they were beings of malice and negative energy.

The nearest one to him began to open its mouth, and before he knew it, it had let out a howl. Immediately several others in the vicinity responded with similar ones. Yatsuhashi glanced around before sighing.

"Just another day." he mumbled. Freeing his left arm, he began to channel his aura, until he lit up with a light brown glow. With a swing the nearest beowulf decided to charge, only for it to be grabbed and crushed in his fists.

Even with his advantage in strength, there were too many Grimm for him to take care of without endangering the young man he was carrying on his shoulder. So he did his best with knocking the Grimm back. Using his superior strength, he was able to cripple the nearest Beowolves at the cost of his own aura. Each attack would drain him, as well as each hit he took, to protect the person he was carrying.

Yatsuhashi knew that he wouldn't be able to last long under the onslaught. That was until he noticed a red figure running towards him. He immediately lowered himself so that he was crouched along with his passenger. In that moment gunfire erupted around him, clearing the Grimm behind him, while the red figure slashed at the enemies in front of him.

The rush of attacks had done a decent job at clearing the surroundings, as the dying Grimm began to fade into black mist.

"Fox!" Yatsuhashi was relieved at the sight of his teammate. "You've finally arrived."

Fox turned around to face him. He then proceeded to nod to the duo. He proceeded to walk into the tree line before stopping. "Velvet and Coco are behind you. I'll be going ahead". With that he dashed into the forest to continue clearing out the nearest Grimm. Yatsuhashi could only watch as his fellow teammate disappeared.

"Yo! Yatsuhashi, who's that with you?" a voice exclaimed. Yatsuhashi turned to face the person, already knowing who it was.

"Took your time to get here." He nodded towards her. "We're gonna need that evac to arrive as soon as possible. Till then could you have Velvet to tend to him?" He proceeded to place the young man near Velvet. He then stood back and looked at the survivor.

The young man looked extremely fit for his age, with auburn hair and a lightly tanned face. The bandages around him had already soaked through with blood, which only proved how dangerous the situation was for him.

"Do you think he was the son of a farmer?" said Coco Adel, the last member of the team. " He looks a bit too fit for someone his age, and the light tan on him should make sense." Coco then peered closer at the injured young man saying, "He kind of looks like someone from Anima". She then paused. "Yatsuhashi, look at his hands. Don't they seem to be off?"

That was when Velvet spoke up. "They don't seem to be just from farming." She then blushed as the two turned to face her.

"Taken an interest in him haven't you huh? Never knew you were into folks with auburn hair. Take it easy in bed though. He's not a huntsman" Steam began to rise from Velvet's ears, as Coco made fun of her. "Anyways, want to explain?" Yatsuhashi nodded as well. Those calluses don't seem to just be from pure farming. It reminded him of…

"He has wielded swords before, or at least something similar." Coco and Velvet both stare at him.

Velvet nods. "It's as Yatsuhashi says. Judging from how muscular his arms are, the young man has been training. He doesn't have aura, so his training would show more than those with aura." She then proceeds to pull out a few items from her backpack. "At least he'll live thanks to Yatsuhashi. He's still bleeding, but the worst has more or less passed. He will need a blood transfusion though. We can only wait."

All it took was twenty minutes for the situation to change for the worse. The three members of team CFVY had been waiting for the return of their last member Fox. When he still hadn't shown up, Velvet had gotten worried.

"It's been almost twenty minutes Coco. He still hasn't returned" She then slowly got up. "Someone should look for him." They nodded with her.

"Alright then. Yatsuhashi, you'll stay with Velvet. I'll go look for Fox." With that Coco dashed off in the general direction of where Fox ran. "Just stay there, evac should arrive soon!" was the last words she shouted before she disappeared from view.

Yatsuhashi sighed. "So little bunny, how is he doing?" He nodded towards the young man laying on the grass. Velvet didn't reply. "Velvet?" He started to walk towards her.

This was enough to snap her out of her stupor. "Oh! He's doing alright, although -" She stops mid sentence. Her ears started to twitch as she faced the direction that Coco and Fox had run off too. "Yatsuhashi, get ready." She picks herself up and sets her backpack down. Yatsuhashi then unsheathed his sword.

It was a great sword that was almost as tall as he was. With a barbed hook, and a handle long enough to be wielded as two handed weapon, the weapon was certainly intimidating. It had a sheen of copper over most it, while the bladed part was mostly golden. To be wielded in one hand, his strength was truly incredible.

Out of the forest lines came Coco, with Fox on her back. Coco seemed to be in a panic, as she was sweating with effort. Her eyes were almost pure shock. Fox on the other hand was barely conscious, with multiple injuries on his arms, covering the parts that were already scared. It was a scene that Yatsuhashi and Velvet didn't expect. That was when all hell broke loose. Coco's fear had attracted the attention of the nearby Grimm, and they were all converging on the area.

Multiple Beowolves and Ursa poured into the clearing behind Coco and Fox, almost seeming like a wave of pure black. They were immediately stopped. Yatsuhashi had slammed into the hoard with almost pure malice, which seemed extremely off for the giant man. He had slammed into them with enough force to shatter even the ground let alone the grimm. Then with a swing of his greatsword, the rest were sent flying back into the forest. If they weren't dead from that, they would have been almost crippled with no chance of survival.

That was when disaster struck. A Beowolf had been launched at Yatsuhashi, hitting him head on. Immediately two Beringels appeared, rushing past him and towards the four behind him. Yatsuhashi turned in panic only to be nailed by a second Beowulf.

Yatsuhashi knew that Velvet could only take care of one at a time without worrying about the survivor. Coco was too busy caring for Fox, and wouldn't be able to deal with the second Beringel. He wouldn't make it in time, so he knew he had to do something. Hefting his great sword, He chucked Fulcrum like one would a spear, and immediately it lanced the second Beringel through the stomach and into the ground.

There was no time to celebrate though, as Yatsuhashi was immediately blindsided by the third Beringel who had been throwing the Beowolves. He was immediately tossed backwards from the force, and was dazed. Through his dazed state, he was able to watch the beacon airship approach.

"It won't make it in time" he thought. He had to do something, to help Velvet against the Beringel, as she wouldn't be able to kill it without her main weapon. As he tried to get up, a figure jumped on top of him knocking him back down. "You…" That was all he could get out before being slammed back into the ground. He could barely raise his arms before it began. The next few seconds were almost pure torture for him as the was continuously pounded into the ground.

Then it stopped. Cautiously, he began to lift his arms away from his face. That was when he noticed that the Beringel that had been thrown off of him. His first thought had been Coco, but when he glanced her way, her weapon was unused. He hadn't heard any gun fire anyways, so that would have ruled her out anyways. Same with the Beacon airship. He tilted his head towards Velvet and that's when he noticed it.

Velvet was helping the survivor stand up. The survivor had his arm out, and was saying something that he couldn't hear. Bluish-green lines lit up along his arms, and then swords appeared around him. The Beringel that had knocked away was immediately impaled with the swords he created. That was almost incredible, but then the young man started to hack up more blood, causing him to sag forwards along with Velvet.

Yatsuhashi limped his way over to the rest of the group, looking to see if there was anything he could do. The Beacon airship was now circling over them, looking for the ok before landing. Yatsuhashi then singled out that it was alright for them to land, before looking at Fox and the survivor. The actions of the survivor had reopened some of the wounds, but Yatsuhashi was more worried about how Fox was injured to that extent.

Coco seemed to be staring off into the distance, her eyes seemed lost. That was until Yatsuhashi waved his hand in front of her, snapping her out of her distress. Looking at Fox, he waited for Coco's explanation to how Fox had ended up in that state. In the end, he was slightly fed up with waiting.

"How did this happen Coco?" He asked. Now that he had a chance to look closer, there were claw marks on Fox's hand. It wasn't like the normal Ursas, or Beowolves, rather it seemed more elongated, as if someone had stretched the fingers of a person.

"Apathy" she whispered. He could only stare at her. That sort of Grimm wasn't normally found in the area, let alone Vale. She then continued " The area I had found Fox in was weird. Along with the Apathy, there had been other marks there, resembling those of cars and airships." She paused to think about it. "I think there may have been more Apathies there then when I had found Fox."

"Something was fishy about this anyways." Yatsuhashi said. "A town of this size going under in a day wouldn't make sense unless you factor these Apathies in." He then looked into the forest.

"Seems like it. Normally Apathies come in packs. They can wipe out entire towns just by being in close proximity." Coco muttered. "This one was alone, but there seemed to be more. I'll wait until Fox wakes up" She continues to stare at the floor. Her arms slack and resting at her sides. It was the side that Coco rarely let anyone see.

Yatsuhashi began to console her, placing his hand on her back. "It will be alright. Evac is here. He shall receive medical assistance as we board." He proceeds to carry Fox in both hands. "Velvet go carry the survivor on board. Give Coco some time, although we have the airship, we shouldn't stick around for much longer. The marks that you found… We'll leave it to Ozpin and Ironwood. We need to wait until Fox wakes up." With that, he headed towards the airship.

The actions of the survivor were barely remembered until later, when Velvet points it out during the conversation. His abilities had startled the members of Team CFVY, but due to the events at the time, were almost glossed over. He had yet to wake up, so the team was still in the dark.

**Line break**

_Emiya Shirou._

_That was his name. He had been adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya, the one man who had given him a chance in life to live again. He had adopted his dream to… He had adopted his… He couldn't remember it._

_The one purpose in his life was to make sure that his sister… Why was he so confused?_

_He was Emiya Shirou, yet what was his goal? What was his duty? His ideals?_

_He was split between the two. One was his want to continue an idealistic dream, the other was his desire for his sister to enjoy a regular life with friends and family. Why was he forced to pick just one?_

_He had to sacrifice one for the other, one dream for the happiness of one, or the happiness of one for the whole world. It was obvious which choice should have been chosen, but in the end, Emiya Shirou could not decide. He had become a hero of justice. He had become a villain in order to protect the last thing he held dear._

_That was when he heard it. A young girl's voice, one that was familiar, yet at the same time foreign. He tried desperately to locate her voice, twisting and turning to try and find where it came from._

_He shut his eyes, and when he reopened it, there she was. Her entire frame was blurry, as if he were watching through static. She held her arms out, as if to cup his face._

"_Don't worry about me Onii-chan" She whispered. While he couldn't make out her face, he was able to see the smile she had, the tears that rolled down her face. "I'm in a happy place now." She then slowly walked towards three other figures he couldn't recognize. With one last look behind her, she began to fade away into mote of light. Her last words echoed in the breeze. "Wake up Onii-chan, someone needs your help." At that moment, her face began to clear up._

_He was able to remember her. "Miyu…", He fell to his knees. "Thank you"._

_With that Emiya Shirou woke up and into the world of Remnant._


	3. Chapter 3

It was just like that day. To wake up in a hospital bed, with it's bright lights and white walls. It was almost déjà vu. If only someone were to appear asking to adopt him. That somber face that had appeared before the blinding light.

Raising his hand up, he thought about that day that had changed him. All around him the buildings had been burning. The sky was crying as death reaped the souls around him. It was only that one moment that had defined him. His one desire was to smile like him. To feel that happy, even as everything crumbled around him. Clenching his fist, he had a small smile on his face. That was when he noticed some slight movement to the side of the bed. Shifting his head slightly, he half expected Kiritsugu to be sitting there.

Instead, there was an old man sitting next to him.

The old man was dressed in a black suit that had a dark green vest under it. He had a cowl of similar color, along with a small cross on it yet he didn't feel like any relation with the church. He had brown eyes and silver hair, and an aura that felt ancient. The old man exuded an unfathomable presence, one that was similar to that of Archer. His presence alone made Shirou put his guard up. In his mind, he began to prepare the blueprints of the married blades. It was at that moment the man then pushed up his glasses before clearing his throat.

"Good morning young man", he greeted with a kind tone. "It has been about a day since you've been here." He then shifted his cane slightly. Something Shirou noted almost immediately. The old man must have definitely noticed him tensing up. The shift in the cane would have allowed the old man a way to immediately stop an opponent in his track. He began to analyze and trace the cane to understand more of the man's history, but again was interrupted when the man spoke up.

"Would you mind telling me your name?" He stared at Shirou, almost as if he was peering into his soul

Shirou stared back at him. "It's rude to not introduce yourself first." The old man's mouth quirked up at this reply. It seemed that Archer's snark had stuck with him, something that somewhat displeased him. At least it had allowed him to gain an advantage so far. The old man then replied.

"How rude of me." He said. "My name is Ozpin. I am the headmaster at Beacon academy, the place you currently reside in." He glanced over to his side before continuing. "So do you mind telling me your name and perhaps what you were doing there as well?" Sensing no ill intent towards him, Shirou then replied. He took a minute to decide what to say. That was when he noticed the presence of two other people in the room. They were behind the curtains, but Shirou didn't dare to allow Ozpin to realize that he knew. So, he decided to steel himself, and reveal barely any information.

"My name is Emiya Shirou. I think. I don't remember much as to how I got there. All I remember were the Grimm. That's it." While Ozpin may have been the headmaster of an academy, Shirou didn't fully trust him. After being thrust into a new world with no idea of what it has, he knew he had to learn of what he had been thrusted into. Luckily, Shirou had been awake on the airship with the team of students who saved him.

They had been too busy worrying about their teammate to check up on him too often, which was beneficial to him. This had allowed him to glean some information about what was occurring at that time. The gist was that they were learning at some sort of institution that trained them to fight against these creatures of Grimm. But, that was mostly it. They had kept a good bit to themselves as they were grieving over their wounded friend.

Ozpin raised a hand to his chin. "Hmm… so nothing at all. That's quite unfortunate then. It would have been tremendous to have a first hand account of what occurred at the town, but not all things go that well. This is fine." He then began to pull the curtains that separated him from the rest of the room. "I shall return in a bit, as I still have my duties to attend to. In my stead, I have some else for you to meet." He then fully pulled the curtain aside, to reveal a man and a woman behind it.

Both were clothed in formal white military uniforms. The man had a singular handgun to his side, while the woman had what looked like a dueling rapier. Ozpin then nodded to the man, before looking back at Shirou.

"This is General Ironwood, along with one of his specialists." Ozpin explained. "They are currently in charge of the Vale's protection for the upcoming event. He just wanted to talk to you about a few things. The fall of Lower Carin has us all on edge, especially with the sightings of Apathies in the vicinity. So forgive us if we're being too cautious."

As Ozpin began to leave the room, Shirou decided to fully trace the cane that the old man had wielded. Ignoring the other two in the room for a moment, information he had tried to gain earlier began to flood into his mind.

That cane was extremely old. In fact, the form it had now, was not its original form. Over it's multiple users, there was a time when one of them had changed it to what it was now. From the staff of a Wizard, to a cane of a hermit. That was what Shirou recognized it as. The other realization was that magic existed in this world, and that Ozpin was a user of it.

What Ozpin had was essentially true magic, albeit one he could not control. Shirou had determined that all instances of the users were in fact the same person. Each and everyone of them had the same goal, and the same purpose. They had tried their best to continue where the other had left off, even when they had no relation to each other. It was either that, or the weapon was sentient and had a goal, which wouldn't make sense as he would have noticed it. They had all wielded the cane staff with almost practiced ease, which was a dead give away.

All in all, the person who he had just witnessed was one who cared about humanity. Only problem was, his mentality was slightly warped. Being able to reincarnate and continue one's goal may seem almost amazing, but the drawbacks were also noticeable. The man in front of him was no longer the same as the one from the start. Shirou wasn't saying that his goals have differed, rather the way he approached it had. The continuing deaths may have had a toll on his mindset.

No longer was he leading the charge, leading the armies to fight against the horde of blackened creatures. Instead, he and a group of those he trusted stood back and manipulated the scenes, sending a select few to remove enemy operatives and interrupting their plans. He created groups meant to teach humanity to combat the Grimm. The only problem was that it wasn't enough.

While sound, Ozpin's methods weren't enough to guarantee humanity's survival. This could be evidently seen in the world's state. With four powers barely holding the last ropes of humanity together, any attack could cripple them. While they were beacons of hope, they were also targets. He may have had humanity in mind, but his actions weren't quite there.

Shirou knew what he had to do. As a hero, he would need to step up and not allow Ozpin to fall and drown in his ideals, just like someone he knew. Ozpin had pretty much given up, he just didn't acknowledge it.

Only thing now was the fact that the other two members in the room were staring at him. Shirou silently cursed as he had almost forgotten about them, as well as what had happened right before. Delving into a weapon of several dozens of years of memories could do that it seems. The problem was now, how would he deal with the two officers in the room.

"Are you alright?" said General Ironwood. "You spaced out for a few moments. Anyways, we just wanted to make sure that you were well before we begin to ask questions." He then gestured to the clipboard that the other person was holding. "We've already received statements from the team that rescued you, so we wanted to go over it and make sure what we have is correct."

Shirou nodded. The general then continued on. "We'd like to know if you knew what the word Apathy meant." He looked straight into Shirou's eyes.

Shirou stared directly back at him. "I think it was a Grimm? While on the flight I heard a few things, about how there were things named Apathies. One of them was attacked by it." After this statement, he noticed the frown on Ironwood deepen. It seemed that the general didn't trust him, or at the very least didn't trust his statement.

General Ironwood then stepped closer to the bed before placing a hand on the side rails. "Let me ask a different question then. What were you doing near the settlement?" His eyes began to darken as Shirou continued to look into his eyes. "We were able to retrieve the logs from the settlement. There isn't an Emiya Shirou there whatsoever. So tell me. Who sent you?" With that Ironwood slammed his fist on the table nearby, breaking it almost immediately.

Shirou proceeded to raise an eyebrow at the man in front of him. "General, don't you think you're taking this too far? I barely remember anything, and now you're accusing me of these baseless things?" Ironwood then grabbed the collar on Shirou's gown, and pulled him closer.

That was when the other person intervened. "General, the young man is correct. I believe you may have gone out of line." This immediately caused Ironwood to let go of Shirou.

"You're right Specialist Schnee. I may have been too emotional. I'm sorry for taking my anger out on you Mr. Shirou." General Ironwood then sighed before continuing. "With the recent events, I've been plagued with many problems. I hope you understand why I'm this peeved."

He then collapsed on the sofa where Ozpin was originally. He pulled off one of the gloves he had been wearing. Under it was a hand, but not just any hand. It was made out of metal.

Turns out, almost half of Ironwood was made out of metal. It seemed that his body was made of cybernetics, and that he was much stronger thanks to it.

"Anyways, You'll most likely have to stay here under house arrest at Beacon until we find out what happened there at Lower Carin. Till then, we will provide you with living necessities." Ironwood the motions for the other person. "Take a seat Specialist. Might as well enjoy a bit of time that we have left relaxing." He then turned back to Shirou.

"So tell me, do you -" He was then cut off. The building was shaking slightly. The windows nearby shook, but held. In the distance a loud explosion could be heard.

General Ironwood and his Specialist immediately bolted up and towards the window.

"Shit!" Ironwood immediately pulled out his scroll, and began typing. He barked out "Immediately contact our forces! We need to contain that breach!" He then lifted the scroll to his face and began talking, before leaving the room. His voice could be heard down the hall before it stopped. "Specialist, make sure to keep an eye on the patient!" Before footsteps began to echo down the hallway again.

Ironwood was right to have said that. At that moment, Shirou had basically broken through the window. The moment the explosion happened, he saw it. With his reinforced view, he watched as a mass of black flood through the hole in the city center. Civilians were tossed aside like rag-dolls, something he could not accept. That was when he noticed it. A young black haired girl in the midst of things. With her little hat and scarf, he was at war with himself once again.

The side that had been at peace and the side that wanted to be a hero. Once again the two would fight with each other. One wanted him to save that girl. The other the civilians who were in danger. They tore and pulled at his mind, pushing him to move, to head down there and to act. In the end, that's what he did. Ignoring the shout of the women in white, he burst through the window, and jumped down into the depths below. Here Emiya Shirou will once again be tested. His will and endurance pulled to the max, his ideals questioned and shattered. Will he be able to find his way among the lost? Only time shall tell.

Chap Fin


End file.
